HC Deb 09 May 1968 vol 764 cc599-600
16. Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will seek to make grants to encourage French and German post-graduate students to consider doing advanced work at British universities, rather than those of the United States of America.

Mr. Edward Short

My Department provides funds, under the Royal Society European Science Programme, to enable European post-doctoral fellows to work in this country. The British Council also offers scholarships to foreign students. Both schemes cover France and Germany.

Mr. Dalyell

Although I praise the work of the British Council to which my right hon. Friend referred, is it not extremely undesirable that so many postgraduates from France and Germany should automatically gravitate towards the United States, without considering the work which they could do at British universities? Does he see any helpful solution to this problem?

Mr. Short

I think that we are doing a great deal here, and my hon. Friend should not underestimate it. There is an additional factor, in that this country takes a very large number of Commonwealth students as well.